Device for sealing a system for conditioning products on a palette

ABSTRACT

A series of flexible sheets are used around a pallet with products thereon, the pallet being disposed in a tunnel. The flexible sheets fill with air pressure supplied at one end of the tunnel such that air leakage around the periphery of the pallet and products is prevented. The arrangement is used to maintain the products at desired temperatures.

The present invention concerns a device for sealing a producttemperature holding, reheating or cooling system on a pallet placed in atunnel.

The term “pallet” is used to denote an element which constitutes asupport, but also to denote a unit constituted by this support elementand a pile of products mounted on this element (in this case, theexpression “support and products unit” appears in brackets).

As for the term “tunnel”, this is a unit including:

arranged walls for delimiting, by means of two approximately horizontalupper and lower surfaces and two approximately vertical side walls, apassage with an approximately rectangular cross section, and alsoreceiving a pallet and its products with a wide play, that is a playpermitting the loading and unloading from the tunnel without any impactsoccurring despite the pallet being improperly handled by a conventionaldevice, such as a fork lift truck,

a device for blowing air at a specific temperature into the tunnel andalso in a specific direction,

The device of the invention is able to resolve the major drawbackencountered in the type of application, namely the leaking of air aroundthe pallet (support and products unit).

In fact, to date sealing has only been ensured at the inlet or outlet ofthe pallet (support and products unit) by a joint or brush.

In the invention, sealing effected with the aid of a sheet is obtainedvia the pressure of the air ensuring ventilation of the pallet (supportand products unit).

When the ventilator is in operation, the air meets the pallet (supportand products unit) which creates a pressure upstream of the system,whereas downstream of the latter, the relative pressure is nil.

This has the effect of glueing the sheet which is used for sealing onthe sides and top of the pallet (support and products unit) .

This device avoids any leak of air around the pallet (support andproducts unit) and minimises motor ventilator powers.

This invention is particularly intended for cooling milky products(yoghurts, dessert cream) in the dairy industry.

To this effect, the aim of the invention is to provide a devicecharacterised in that inside the tunnel, so as to avoid any leak ofventilation air around the products situated on the pallet, sealing iseffected with the aid of a sheet glued onto the sides and top of theproducts under the effect of the pressure of the ventilation air whichcirculates inside said tunnel.

The invention shall be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing description given by way of non-restrictive example withreference to the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention.

FIG. 1 represents a top view section,

FIG. 2 represents the general perspective view.

With reference to the drawing, a tunnel 5 is shown, that is a functionalportion of a product temperature adjustment installation (not shown),such as groups of pots of milky products stacked on a handling support,namely a pallet.

Although this does not appear on the drawing, the products in each groupare conventionally arranged with a certain amount of spacing allowingair to circulate between them.

The term “pallet” is hereafter used to denote an element whichconstitutes a support.

The pile of products and the pallet form a unit with an approximatelyrectangular parallelepiped shape.

The support unit 4 and pile of products conventionally has a rectangularcross section.

As for the tunnel 5, the term denotes a unit including :

walls fitted in such a way so as to delimit, by means of one lowersurface and one upper surface both approximately horizontal and twoapproximately vertical side surfaces a passage with an approximatelyrectangular cross section and also to receive a pallet and products unit4 with a wide play, this is a play allowing loading and unloading fromthe tunnel 5 without causing any collision despite the pallet beingimproperly handled by a conventional device, such as a fork lift truck(not shown),

a device 2 for blowing air at a specific temperature into the tunnel 5and in a specific direction,.

The device of the invention is aimed at firstly effectively obstructingthe leaking of air laterally and above the pile of products, that is viathe existing play between each lateral face of the pile and the lateralface opposite the tunnel 5, and secondly between the upper face of thepile and the face opposite the tunnel 5.

To this effect, so as to avoid each leak of ventilation air around theproducts situated on the pallet, imperviousness in the tunnel 5 iseffected with the aid of a sheet 1 disposed so as to be glued onto thesides and top of the products under the effect of the pressure of theventilation air circulating in said tunnel.

In the invention, imperviousness effected by means of the sheet 1 isobtained by the pressure of the air ensuring ventilation of the pallet(support and products unit).

The sheet is understood to be a lap made of a flexible material.

On the operational diagram, when putting the ventilator 2 into service,the air (symbolised by the black arrows) strikes the pallet 4 (supportand products unit) which creates a pressure (P1) upstream of the system,whereas downstream of the latter, the pressure is nil (P0).

This has the effect of glueing the sheet used for sealing on the sidesand top of the pallet (support and products unit).

This device prevents any air from leaking around the pallet andminimises ventilator motor powers.

The device of the invention is notable in that it includes severalsheets 1 and each sheet 1 is placed in a space E existing between asurface 4A of the products and support unit 4 and a surface 5A of thetunnel situated opposite so as to, by inflating under the pressure ofthe air propelled into the tunnel for traversing the pile of products,close the space E in question and limit the circulation of air inpassages existing between the products.

The device of the invention is also notable in that:

each sheet 1 has two edges 1A, 1B, one being situated upstream and theother 1B downstream of the tunnel, having regard to the direction ofcirculation of the air through the products stacked on the pallet, and

between these edges 1A, 1B, the sheet 1 has one developed dimensiongreater than the rectilinear distance separating said edges 1A, 1B so asto constitute a flexible pocket,

at the level of its downstream edge 1A, the sheet 1 is fixed, at leastindirectly, against the face 5A of the tunnel 5 at the level from whichit extends,

at the level of its upstream edge 1B, the sheet 1 is kept spaced fromthe face 5A of the tunnel 5 at the level from which it extends so thatthe propelled air is able to be caught inside the volume delimited bythis lap against the face of the tunnel, and because of this theincrease of the resultant pressure provokes this sheet 1 being appliedagainst the support and products unit 4.

What is claimed is:
 1. Sealing device for a temperature adjustmentsystem of products situated on a pallet placed in a ventilationcirculation tunnel, characterised in that, sealing in the tunnel (5) iseffected with a sheet (1) disposed so as to be glued on the sides andtop of the products under the effect of the ventilation air circulatingin said tunnel and wherein the sheet is operable to block leakage ofventilation air around the products situated on the pallet.
 2. Sealingdevice according to claim 1, characterised in that the sealing deviceincludes several sheets (1), each sheet (1) being placed in a space (E)existing between a surface (4A) of the products and support unit (4) anda surface (5A) of the tunnel situated opposite so as to, by inflatingunder the pressure of the air propelled into the tunnel for traversingthe pile of products, close the space (E) in question and limit thecirculation of air in passages existing between the sealing deviceproducts.
 3. Sealing device according to claim 2, characterised in that:each sheet (1) has two edges, (1A, 1B), one (1A) situated upstream andthe other (1B) downstream of the tunnel relative to the direction ofcirculation of the air through the products stacked on the pallet, andbetween these edges (1A, 1B), the sheet (1) has an extent larger thanthe rectilinear distance separating said edges (1A, 1B) so as toconstitute a flexible pocket, at the level of the downstream edge (1A)of each sheet, the sheet (1) is fixed, at least indirectly, against theface (5A) of the tunnel (5) at the level from which the sheet extends,at the level of the upstream edge (1B) of each sheet, the sheet (1) iskept spaced from the face (5A) of the tunnel (5) at the level from whichthe sheet extends so that the propelled air is able to be caught insidethe volume delimited by the sheet and the face of the tunnel, and suchthat an increase of the resultant pressure causes this sheet (1) to beapplied against products and support unit (4).